Puzzle



Oct. 8, 194$. JOHNSON 2,216,915

PUZZLE Filed April 26, 1939 INVENTOR x 18 50mm z JOHNSON FIGS. I

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 8, 1940 v PATIENT orrlcs PUZZLE Edward T. Johnson, Greenfield, Mass., assignor to The New England Box Company, Greenfield, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application April 26, 1939', Serial No. 270,118

7 Claims.

This invention relates to puzzles and more particularly to the type in which pieces of wood or other material are adapted to be assembled to form a solid of apredetermined configuration.

An object of the invention has been to provide a simple and small puzzle of the character mentioned, involving few parts which may be readily carried in the pocket and which may be readily produced inlarge quantities and at a small cost.

In its preferred form the puzzle of this invention consists, of only two parts which are identical in shape and which, when properly assembled,

will form a pyramid with a triangular base. Each part of the puzzle is a wedge-shaped, five-"sided solid of symmetrical form, two of the sides being isosceles triangles, two being regular trapezoids, and one being substantially square. When so constructed the pyramid formed upon the assembly of the parts will have four triangularsurfaces of the same size, each of the triangles being isosceles. I

The preferred form of the puzzle lends itself readily to large-scale production, the individual parts being capable of rapid production as sections from a long strip. y

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed description of an illustrative form of the same which will now be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the two parts of the illustrative puzzle in assembled relation.

Figure, 2 is aperspective view of the two parts separated.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are a bottom view, side view and end view, respectively, of one of the parts, and

Figure 6 is an isometric view of a continuous bar from which the parts may be cut, several of the sections removed in forming the parts being indicated as cut out and one being shown in broken lines.

Referring now particularly to Figures 3 to 5, inclusive, each partofgthe puzzle comprises a flat base surface III which is preferably square. Triangular surfaces II and I2 extend diagonally from the ends of the surface III while trapezoidal surfaces I3 and I4 extend from the sides of surface I0 and intersect along an edge l5. Thus eachpart is a wedge of symmetrical form, as more clearly illustrated in the perspective view (Figure 2).

The two parts of the puzzle are preferably of identical form. In Figures 1 and 2 the surfaces of one part are identified by the numbers mentioned above but with the sub-script a While the surfaces of the other part are correspondingly numbered but with the sub-script b appended to each number. To assemble the parts to produce the pyramid it is simply necessary to place the surface Illa of one against the surface lb of the other, with the axes of the two parts tWisted at 90 with respect to each other. This places the surface I-Za on one part in alinement with the surface I 31) on the other, surface Ma in alinement with surface III) on the other, surface Ila in alinement with surface Mb of the other, and surface I3a in alinement with surface I2b of the other. The base of the pyramid is thus formed by the surfaces I 3a and IZb of the two parts while the apex of the pyramid is formed by the end Nib of the edge or ridge I5b of one part.

It will be apparent that the surfaces I I and I2 of each part should be disposed at the same angle with respect to each other as the surfaces 53 and M. This angle may be varied as desired, depending upon the shape of the pyramid which it is desired to form. The surfaces I t and i2 should preferably be isosceles triangles, the length of the base of which in relation to the side edges surfaces I3 and 14 may form an angle of 60 at the ridge I5. correspondingly the planes of the surfaces I I and I2 should then form an angle of 60 with respect to each other. It has been found that if the surface ID has a dimension of about one inch square, pieces of convenient size for the purpose will be formed.

If it is desired to form a pyramid having all of its sides in the shape of equilateral triangles, the angle between the surfaces I3 and M and between surf-aces II and I2 should be increased slightly so that a plane intersecting these surfaces at the appropriate angle to form such a pyramid will form angles of 60 at each of the points of the triangular surfaces II and I2 and at each of the corners of the trapezoidal surfaces l3 and I4 at the ends of the edge I5. On the other hand, if it is desired to form the pyramid with triangular surfaces having bases smaller in relation to the altitude than in the form illustrated, the angle between the sides I I and I2 and between sides I3 and I4 should be decreased. If the distance between the edge l5 and the base [0 remains the same as in the illustrated construction, the sides of the square forming the surface III will, in this modification, be somewhat smaller.

Referring to Figure 6, there is illustrated a may be varied. In one satisfactory form the two in a planing mill with a triangular cross-section. For the preferred construction the cross-section should be an equilateral triangle. The advantage of this particular form is that the width of the surface i is the same as the width of the surfaces l3 and I4, thus rendering the puzzle somewhat more difficult of solution since the parts will appear to match up to a certain extent in more different positions. From this bar of triangular cross-section it is then simply necessary to remove sections l8 having walls l9 and 20 disposed at an angle of 60 to each other. This may be accomplished by simply taking a saw cut at an angle of 30 from each side of a plane perpendicular to the side of the rod which is to form the base II]. By similarly removing a series of sections 18 at intervals adapted to leave surfaces H] of a length equal to the width of the base of the stock 11, a series of the puzzle parts may be formed. This method of forming the parts will eliminate the grain structure of the wood as a possible clue to the solution of the puzzle.

If desired the parts of the puzzle may be used in their rough-cut state or they may be finished in any appropriate manner. They may be sandpapered, for example, stained and varnished or they may be painted. In lieu of forming the parts of wood, they may be cast or molded of any suitable material, such as metal, rubber, glass, or any other appropriate composition; they may be molded, for example, of any suitable plastic "The terms employed herein have been used as terms of description and not of limitation.

Iclaim:

I l. A puzzle comprising two parts of substantially identical form constructed to produce a triangular pyramid when properly placed together, each part having five flat sides one of which is square, two of which are triangular, and

two of which are regular trapezoids, said triangular sides being disposed at the same angle to each other as the two trapezoidal sides.

2. A puzzle comprising a triangular pyramid divided into two substantially identical sections by a plane parallel with two of the edges of the pyramid and bisecting the remaining four edges thereof.

3. A puzzle comprising a triangular pyramid having sixty degree angles between its adjacent sides and which is divided into two substantially identical sections by a plane parallel with two of the edges of the pyramid and bisecting the remaining four edges thereof.

4. A puzzle comprising two parts of substantially identical form constructed to produce a triangular pyramid when properly placed together, each part having five flat sides one of which is square, two of which are substantially identical isosceles triangles, and two of which are substantially identical regular trapezoids.

5. A puzzle comprising two wedge shaped parts of identical form, each part having a square base and triangular ends and trapezoidal side surfaces extending from the base, the triangular surfaces being disposed at the same angle to each other as the trapezoidal surfaces.

6. A method of making a puzzle which comprises forming an elongated bar whose cross section is an isosceles triangle and dividing said bar into identical units by removing therefrom rectangular pyramidal sections having their apexes in one of the edges of said bar and their bases in the side of the bar opposite said one edge and forming the base of said isosceles triangle, said units being removed at intervals leaving squares in the side forming said bases.

'7. A method of making a puzzle which comprises forming an elongated bar whose cross section is an isosceles triangle, and dividing said bar into identical units by cutting the same along planes having the same angle to each other as the apex of said isosceles triangle, said cutting being eifected in such directions and at such intervals as to leave a series of squares in the side of said bar opposite the edge forming the apex of the isosceles triangle.

EDWARD T. JOHNSON. 

